


What They Don't See, and Everything in Between

by euridamelia



Category: Gugudan (Band), IOI, Kang Mina - Fandom, Mark Lee - Fandom, NCT (Band)
Genre: F/M, Mark is going through puberty, Mina baby is growing up too fast, Taeyong is a very confused mom
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-08-01
Updated: 2020-09-04
Packaged: 2021-03-05 23:02:16
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 4
Words: 9,474
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25653316
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/euridamelia/pseuds/euridamelia
Summary: (a series of Kang Mina and Mark Lee one-shots, and the joys - and pains - of growing up in one of the most controversial and popular environments in the world)
Relationships: Kang Mina & Mark Lee (NCT), Kang Mina/Mark Lee (NCT), Mark Lee - Relationship
Comments: 34
Kudos: 36





	1. How to Adult?

2:27 AM

It was the most unorthodox hour of dawn, and Kang Mina was camped at her dark and empty apartment with her back pressing comfortably against leather and her hands behind her head.

Through her window, the evening sky above was a dark velvet sprinkled with stars. She brushed the strayed strands of hair away from her eyes and admired the moon’s waltz with the clouds. She could faintly hear Sejeong at the back of her head, reprimanding her about doing nothing but _“staring at walls and stars will do her no good,”_ but too much mental exhaustion kept her mind in constant loneliness and confusion. She needed this inexpensive therapy.

Her life as an MC for Music Bank had finally come to an end. Her chest physically hurt whenever she thought about it. Blinking back her tears, she briefly wondered how she still had enough water left in her body when she had drunkenly sobbed her heart and soul out to Chani and Hyunjin the night before. The staffs were kind enough to sing and dance with her while she half screamed the lyrics to Diamond Sky by Shinee with her poor Japanese gibberish. Ah, who cares? It was a party made for her anyway, and she trusted them enough to send her passed out self to her doorstep.

She slowly sat up and dragged her bare feet against the carpeted floor to sit cross-legged in front of the clear, ceiling-high glass. Her legs wobbled, her head was spinning, and her dry throat was in dire need of water. But at that moment, it didn’t matter to her. Her warm, dainty hands pressed themselves flat against the cold window. It was covered in mist due to her heater, and she could barely make out the fuzzy lights and distant cars down below.

She breathed deeply, gathering more mist like how she gathered her never-ending worries for her future.

_What will become of me now? What am I going to do at this point? How am I supposed to start over?_

The thoughts kept attacking her right, left, and center. Here she was at 20 years old and totally lost. People who interacted with her at work kept on telling her ' _you shouldn’t worry, you’re very pretty you’ll get opportunities in no time, you have enough experiences to land amazing spots in the industry.. etsetera etsetera..'_

Bullshit. And they all knew that.

She had survived one of the harshest idol survival shows in Korea and endured extreme measures just to appease society. She wasn’t so naive as to think that positivity and sparkles would do the trick on the dark side of k-pop. White lies wouldn’t help either, because that would only mean denying the glaring truth: no matter how smart and professional she was, in the end she was just a merchandise in their eyes. So was her former and current group.

A tear fell and stained her shirt. She wiped it with the back of her hand.

She missed IOI and her old members. She missed her silly times with hyperactive Yoojung and penguin Sohye. She missed Chungha’s constant low-battery state. She missed Somi’s savageness. She missed Nayoung unnie’s stone face. She missed Pinky and Doyeon’s hair whipping tendencies. She missed Yeonjung’s random concerts in the shower. Hell, she even missed Sejeong’s inappropriate old man jokes even though they see each other more often than others (and even that was a stretch, because Sejeong-unnie’s never-ending array of hardcore, physically straining projects prevented them from seeing each other often.. Mina hoped her workaholic unnie ate 3 times a day, at least).

She missed her mom and dad, and her little room in Jeju.

Another tear fell, and she used both of her hands this time because she felt like choking.

_Gugudan._

She missed Sally and her broken Korean. For some reason, Sally was one of the few people who she could resonate deeply. No offense to her Korean unnies, but she often felt slightly left out due to the age gap that they had. While it was no secret that Sejeong and Nayoung loved and babied her so much to the point of being overprotective, there was always a certain older-younger barrier between them and that kept her introverted and stubborn self on edge even though she wanted to tell them things that her heart felt so heavy about. She had only one person to turn to whenever her heartaches become too heavy, and even that person couldn’t take a breather for carrying the weight of the entire SM industry above his shoulders.

Mark.

Her lips trembled.

They actually met briefly right after NCT’s winning performance. She was a mess of heightened emotions and smeared mascara, and he was teasing and playful but comforting. But cameras and cooing staffs (and of course, his lively group of handsome misfits/hyungs/ + the ear-splitting giggles of Haechan) surrounded them, and there was no room for private conversations at all. The huge ass watermelon he brought with him (he got it as a prize for winning, he explained sheepishly) was kind of an awkward addition to the convo too, and while Mina’s feelings were all over the place, she was genuinely so proud and happy for him and she did not want to dampen his festive mood by moping in front of him too much. So she decided to just seal it with a broshake and tried her best to ignore the way his eyes and voice softened and the fact that he held her longer than he should (her heart fluttered, secretly, she loved the feeling of his calloused hands intertwining with hers but.. _Cameras are surrounding us, okay? We can’t do this here, Mark. Your fans are watching)._

He was just.. Her awkward best friend. Her honest but strong-willed classmate who defended his opinions with unbiased passion and kindness. The one who shared all cringe and cheesy lines in the world with her in front of national TV. The dork who screamed his mom’s name when the lights of the practice room died. The Canadian sunshine who often forgot the conservative culture of Korea by handshaking everyone and wrapping his recently more muscular arms around her much smaller figure too long when he was too happy and excited. The sweetheart who called her at 10 pm almost every night for 3 whole months just to ask if she had gone home safely, because a crazy male sasaeng followed her one night after Music Core (and he was the first guy she could think of calling when she was trembling like mad inside her apartment, and no, she could never call any of her female friends because that would make things worse—)

The tears wouldn’t stop anymore, but she had decided to just let it wash over her, allowing herself to drown in feels. The words formed beneath her tongue, but she did not say it out loud. Admitting to it would only confirm her fears, and she needed her last ounce of self-denial to give herself a semblance of faked strength.. whatever that was.

Through her period of lamentation, her phone blinked twice. Wiping her eyes for the umpteenth time, she crawled her way back to the sofa and unlocked her phone. Hundreds of messages were sent by so many people, staffs, her frantic parents, IOI and Gugudan.. With dorky Sally sending weird Chinese emojis in their Weibo account, and of course, concerned Sejeong and reassuring Nayoung.. It made her smile a bit. They were all being cute and lovely, but she was too tired and hungover to read all of them. She was about to turn it off when a particular chain of messages caught her eye. There was no name written, so it was clearly an unregistered number. it might be a sasaeng, but..

She stared at it for a few minutes. Then she noticed 7 missed calls and a voice message of the same number.

She sat upright, suddenly alert. _Could it be..?_

Wait, no, it was not possible. They were celebrating their victory, right? _Uri real vibe killer_ , who did she think she was, anyway?

She took a deep breath and examined them.. One by one.

10:40 PM  
 _yooooo~ mina_

10:48 PM  
You missed a call from —

10:52 PM  
 _have to use another number because sasaengs kept calling my old one._  
 _this mark lee, btw_  
 _hahahaha_

10:56 PM  
 _lmao i think i’ve given u way too many numbers_  
 _u don't even have to put my name on them bec i might change my number again soon._  
 _this is what im gonna use to contact my fam. and maybe johnny hyung._  
 _and you._

_shit, wait. i think i might use 2 numbers. im confused hahahaha_

10:59 PM  
 _u awake? can i call?_

11:02 PM  
You missed a call from —

11:10 PM  
You missed a call from —

11:15 PM  
 _sorry i left way too early this afternoon. we promised a victory/losing party like, 2 days before the first performance. like, we didn’t actually think we’d win. but i hope u ain’t mad at me tho?_

11:24 PM  
You missed a call from —

11:30 PM  
 _heyy u guys have a prty too! I didn’t know lolol okay have fun_  
 _stay safe, call me when u get home?_

11:52 PM  
 _mina. sorry i had to ask hyungnim how you are. he said u wasted asf lolol wish i can see that in person. but anyway keep safe_

12:02 AM  
You missed a call from —

12:20 AM  
You missed a call from —

12:35 AM  
You missed a call from —

12:40 AM  
 _yoooo hyungnim said you passed out. mina dont overdo it lol_  
 _im telling u rn ur head’s not gonna feel good tmr morning, hahahaha_

1:02 AM  
You received one voice mail from —

_“Heyyy, yoooo~ Mina. Uhm, wait—I think I forgot to charge my airpods, um, oh ShIt!—Sorry! Sorry ‘bout that! I dropped my guitar what the fuck hahahaha”_

_“Anyway, uhm. Like, I know it’s weird for calling this hour, I bet you’re.. blacked out right now. But uhm.. Yeah. Hahaha uh, we, we had like this sorta home party today and, we finally got our first trophy thoo!!—“_

_“Mark, shut up, we’re tryna sleep.”_

_“Oh, sorry, hyung. ANYwayyyy.. So uhm, yeah. I’m also kinda tipsy, y’know, but I can’t sleep. Might.. Have to go outside. To the balcony. Yeah.”_

Mina’s hand was shaking. Her heartbeat sounded so loud that she was afraid he might hear it (she knew that was logically impossible but no coherent thought could process anymore). Even just by his voice he could tell that he was as flustered as she was, with apple-colored cheeks and hand rubbing behind his blushing neck and all. It sent butterflies to her stomach while she listened to the sound of doors creaking open and occasional groans and curses from different baritones. She’d bet her entire apartment that at least more than half of the 127 members were intoxicated and conked on the floor, the sofa, the dining table, or even the bathroom. Some sensible hyungs probably managed to hog the bed. Their close bromance had always and will always make her soft and happy inside.

_“So, yeah. Uhm. I’m pretty sure you’re alright? I mean, physically? Oh—okay that’s sounds weird. What I mean to say is that, like.. y’know. You get, it right? Hey, by the way, drink water when you wake up. I know you’re kind of not used to partying and all. And take some meds if your head feels like crap..”_

Her heart felt like it was squeezed in cuteness when he babbled nervously about things. Typical Mark. The wind blew around him as he told her about his day and the funny and spooky things that happened during their last practice period. She could picture out his unruly hair being blown about and his constant need to adjust his glasses while his voice traveled in high-low octaves depending on his level of excitement. Unlike his charismatic and intimidating stage persona, he had always been expressive and childlike when they were alone, and she really adored that about him.

_“.. So that’s what happened to Baekhyun sunbaenim when he found out about our prank, it was so funny! And y’know what, I really miss you but, um—“_

Her breath hitched. Wait, what?

_“—I wanna catch up with your stuff. But.. in person? Like.. You know, Taeil-hyung told me about this lowkey restaurant he went with Haechan, they said the food there is *kissing sound* chef’s kiss! Aahahaha, okay. Um, yeah, let me know when you’re free? I’m good tomorrow morning but, Taeyong-hyung and I have to record for something in the afternoon. Or like, we could, um, chill and hang out in your place? We could like, get toppoki and watch those creepy zombies you really like or something. Dude, the last time we watched that, that.. what you called that movie? I got chills, man! Couldn’t really sleep after that.. but you seemed to be really into it.. But, man, that was so long ago already, don't you think?.. I just, uh. I remembered how fun it was to be around you and just talking about.. Anything. We should really hang out sometime. I’m also cool next week. Just, just let me know, kay?"_

Mina exhaled shakily when she realized that she never released a single breath. Sleep and hangover be damned, she felt like she just had 4 cups of coffee and a huge dopamine shot. She thought he already hung up when his line became quiet for a minute, when—

_“So, yeah.. I won’t say bye, though. Just—I miss you. Very much. See you soon..”_

Then the line went off.

“…”

How was she supposed to sleep after that?!

She paced around her house with renewed energy and chugged a huge glass of water. Her cheeks felt painful from smiling too much. What a 360 degree turn from just an hour ago! Seriously?! Did he want her to have a heart attack?!

At least.. One of them was brave enough.

“I miss you too, Lee Minhyung.”

Well. She could be brave, too.


	2. not the only specie of his kind

It bothered him.

Mark Lee threw the basketball against the wall of their living room with more hostility than necessary. The ball bounced back with equal force, nearly hitting him in the face, but his reflexes were thankfully faster than his processing brain. A distinct scream from the other side of the room caught him in mid-trance.

"Mark! Are you planning to put a hole in my wall or do you want me to put a hole in your head?"

"Sorry, Yuta-hyung..oppa." He snickered at the last bit when Yuta's bawl of laughter resonated in their entire apartment. This was a cute endearment between him and the Japanese takoyaki prince ever since the latter expressed his undying love for him. It made him cringe the first time his members teased him about it, but later on it became a part of their weird routine of jokes every morning. Then it reached TV shows and interviews, and pretty soon the entire world already acknowledged Yuta as Mark's official oppa. It bewildered him how same sex fanservice worked in this industry but, whatever. They were all close to his heart, anyway, and he wouldn't exchange it for anything else.

But that was not why he was bothered. Actually, he wished that was the thing that was bothering him instead. At least it would have been simpler that way.

Mark dribbled the ball twice before tossing the ball into the air a couple of times, like how he would've shot if there was a ring. He frowned a bit when he realized he might destroy the light bulb, so he stopped and spun the ball using his index finger. He did this a couple more times before he finally, frustratedly, dropped the ball on the floor. Blame the quarantine period and the heavy rain outside for making him distracted about things he shouldn't be distracted about. Gahhh. He missed performing on stage amidst the roaring, frenzied crowd.

Anyway.

He wasn't even out of breath but he collapsed down to the carpeted floor. On purpose, of course. Sprawled carelessly with all of his limbs outstretched in an awkward position, Mark stared blankly at the ceiling, finally giving up on trying to distract himself from overthinking relentlessly. One week had passed since their first win, and they had finally calmed down from their initial congratulatory hype. The members were getting busy with their routine individual schedules once again, some resting, some planning with their managers for new projects.. And he had already run through his _extremely hectic_ schedule for the next couple of days.

But. Ugh.

He reached for his discarded phone somewhere near him. Taking a deep breath, he debated within himself if he should best restart his phone, or he should just simply unlock it, or if he was just being overdramatic and childish and unreasonable and he should stop acting like an idiot.

_'What is wrong with you? Why are you freaking out over something so small and normal and stupid?'_

He should stop digressing already. Inputing his fingerprint in, his phone screen automatically lit up and showed what he was dreading to see.

A youtube video that was halfway finished before he pressed the lock button rather aggressively, earlier that day. He winced, _what the fuck. I'm really going fucking crazy._

He grumbled out loud before pressing the play button. The video consisted of a compilation of highlighted scenes in a drama series called _'Mama Fairy and the Woodcutter.'_ He hadn't really watched it when it was first showed on TV, probably because he was still busy promoting during that period. Also, the title, to be honest, sounded like something Disney would make. He remembered thinking it might be a show for kids or something. 

Oh, how wrong he was.

With bated breath, he watched the scene unfold before him while he tried his best not to press the exit button once again. A very pretty girl with long, curly, red hair was leaning against a white car with a boy beside her. Typical puppy love with the night sky and romantic sexual tension and shit. The boy tried to kiss the girl but she backed away, slightly hurting the boy's feelings. Then the girl changed her mind and literally jumped at him, kissing him openly and passionately on the mouth. Cute, huh?

His vice grip on his phone subconsciously hardened, his eyes fixated on the girl. Oh, boy, she did _not_ come to play _._ She definitely _knew_ how to do a _kissing scene_ , not just the shy lip-service, but the kind that could make a guy's stomach flip, explode, and turn over. He never, in his twenty years of living in this good earth, expected she could kiss _that_ _good_ , what the hell. He was having a hard time breathing at this point, and-why's the dude just standing there and looking so stupid?! Did he even know what 'kissing back' means?! He looked like a damn fish! He could bet his Calvin Klein boxers he could kiss way better!!

_Listen, Lee Minhyung, Mark Lee, calm the fuck down._

He slid the screen down before he could even think about it. He could hear his own ears pulsating, could feel how warm it was. He frantically scrolled back to see his youtube history. He had watched a total of 12 videos in just 2 hours. Compilations to be exact.

**_2 hours earlier_ **

It all started when he was looking for videos that showed their full Music Bank performance. His objective was just technical, from the start. He wanted to see their overall blocking arrangements and each of the members' fan cams so that he could suggest a possible formation for the next show. By the end of the stage show he had already taken several notes of what he wanted to improve, and how some moves made others vulnerable. He decided to see the entirety of them winning since it brought back the feeling of exhilaration.

But then came Mina's farewell speech. Honestly, he had no idea that it was already her last day during that time, so he was obviously _very_ taken aback. He felt a dull pang in his chest when he watched her soft and pretty face break down in front of national TV for the second time. It still hurts him as much as it hurt last week to see the professional and independent Kang Mina try but fail not to cry. He had seen her vulnerable before, he knew all about her inner struggles and fears, how countless people talked bad about her but she still won and even exceeded everyone's expectations every time, how she had always worn a genuine smile on her face even though she hadn't eaten the entire day because some heartless idiots kept on insulting her figure (he couldn't understand why in hell would they even say that? She's literally perfect and curvy ~~and sexy~~ and beautiful the way she is?).

Even then, he had always fought back the urge to hold her in his arms and tell her it's okay, because she had alway presented a happy and strong front no matter what the situation was. It had always been her who did the comforting even though he didn't need it as much as she did. She was always the one who listened quietly when he opened up his pains and misunderstandings with his members, and was the one who always reassured him that he was doing a good job for his teammates, that he would never be a burden despite his age because he was talented and passionate and loving. She never failed to speak well of him whenever his annoying teammates teased her with him in interviews, always proving that her trustworthiness was and will always be topnotch, always protecting him in silence. His best friend in the world outside NCT. 

If only there were no cameras, he would've run to the other side of the stage and tackled her with the warmest and biggest bear hug he could give, he would've screamed how awesome and multitalented she was, fed her with all the food she liked, booked a flight to Jeju and watched happy movies with her until her tears of sadness became tears of joy. But of course he couldn't do that. They couldn't do that. They were even forbidden to make eye contact for too long, damn.

Then he saw Hyunjin remove a stray confetti in her hair.

That was what a normal friend would do, nothing out of the ordinary. Chani was also trying not to laugh while bringing her cake and flowers, as if he was a pageant contestant. She laughed a bit too, and friendly Kang Mina was her usual congenial self amongst the crowd. She was a comforting presence to everyone, even among guys, which was not a very common trait to other girl groups except for a few (like Sejeong-noona?). Maybe that was the reason why she was so good in everything she did. He glanced at the other videos at the side while Haechan and Johnny were busy clowning his awkward ass on the video, hoping for a fan cam of him, or maybe Taeyong-hyung, so that he could finally start studying their movements. But the suggested videos made him blink.. Slowly. 

_Up next, autoplay: Park Woojin and Kang Mina moments (Law of the Jungle), Mark Lee and Kang Mina moments part 1, Mark and Mina SOPA Graduation, EXO Sehun and Mina Gugudan Cute Interaction in Seoul Fashion Week, Show! Music Core MC vs encore-Mina and boys, Kang Mina and P.O. Hotel De Luna Scenes, Block B's P.O. and Kang Mina kissing scene, 20th Century Boy and Girl Kang Mina and Inseong Kissing scene, Kang Mina Kiss Scene in Mama Fairy and the Woodcutter.._

.. What.

The rain had considerably gotten heavier outside. Their dorm nanny was in Jaehyun's bedroom, busily picking up his rumpled clothes on the floor while vacuuming his bedsheet-less bed at the same time. Jungwoo went out and grabbed a bottle of water, and was about to go back to his room, when he noticed Mark's perplexed expression, on the floor, barefoot and buried in Johnny's old and faded Chicago high school hoodie that looked incredibly huge on him. He pursed his lips, wondering what the younger boy could've been watching to create that kind of face.

Ah, he shrugged nonchalantly before proceeding towards his merry way. _Must be puberty._

A few hours later, Jungwoo could hear an angry bounce from Jaehyun's basketball outside and a confused yell that made him drop the Snoopy plushie given to him by his mom. 

\-----------------------------------------------------------

"Hyung, do you really believe that actors and actresses do not catch feelings when they do a whole make out session with tongues and all in front of cameras?"

Taeyong just stared, while his hand holding the frying turner stopped in midair.

"Hyung? I'm serious."

"Mark... I-" The poor leader in question opened his mouth unsurely, but closed it again. The fried eggs were starting to go brown and he was starving, but the younger one seemed to ask this very weird question as if it was the answer to the current pandemic's cure. _".. What? I mea- huh?_ _"_ He sputtered incoherently. He was tired from the day's activities and he just wanted to _eat_ _quietly_ and maybe sleep, or tend to his cactus plants, or at least play one round of Animal Crossing. _What in Ruby's name has he done to be interrogated like.. this?_

"You see, Mark.." He swallowed, trying his best not to sound rude, for his younger member was listening earnestly. "I'm not really an actor? I-haven't.. kissed anyone in front of the camera?"

The Canadian boy nodded, somehow satisfied with the older one's answer, much to the leader's relief.

"Why are you asking that so suddenly, anyway? And to me, of all people?"

Marked shrugged. "Like, since most of your songs are rather kinky you know. And you sing to the crowd as if you meant it for them? I do rap and sing some dirty stuff but you really compose and act on it like you own a chain to your bedpost or something"

Taeyong had no answer to that.

But he tried to be nice, though, because Mark was his beloved donsaeng and he promised to take care of him even though his question completely threw him off to outer space. ".. I, well, I guess I'll give the credits to me being a professional, and to our training instructors." He chuckled lightly. "They made me freakier than I already am."

But the boy seemed to be thinking about something else. Taeyong squeezed his arm in concern. "Is there something troubling you?"

Mark could only sigh in defeat. "Nothing, really. Maybe I'm just.. I should stop thinking that I'm the only guy in the universe." He gave the confused leader a back hug before heading out of the kitchen. "Good night, hyung. Have a nice meal!"

Taeyong, with mouth slightly agape, watched Mark disappear from his sight. _What the heck did he just say?_

He shook his head, sighed, and concluded his late-night dinner. _Must be puberty._


	3. it's a long day but it's ok

**Author’s note** : Set during Mina and Mark’s high school days. In between I.O.I and Gugudan promotion, when the Jellyfish trio was pulled out from I.O.I dorm. Additional notes at the last part so please keep reading hehe <3

———————————————————————————

“Call me when you’re done, and please don’t stay out too long. You still have a busy schedule tomorrow.”

“Yes, manager-hyung. Thank you.”

Mark Lee watched his manager’s car speed away with sleepy eyes and cold feet while clutching his thick parka jacket in the process. The weather was getting very cold, December was approaching its second week, and the streets were gradually filled with colorful lights and subtle Christmas decors. He adjusted his mask and black beanie, then put his hoodie’s jacket over the beanie to complete his covered appearance, all the while half-jogging towards the other side of the street at the same time.

Better safe than sorry, he mused.

Mark Lee, 17 years young, multitasker, was on a mission to complete his dreaded and overdue high school math assignments.

He was fighting for consciousness while trotting along the secret alleyway at the corner. Wishing he had accepted Taeyong-hyung’s offer to buy him a cup of coffee before he left, he felt his old, textbook-filled backpack become heavier when he quietly slipped inside the sliding door of a well-lit building that had a ‘Jellyfish Ent’ signboard at the entrance. His tired body must’ve taken a toll on him already, since boys his age should’ve been resting and playing CoC or ~~dating girls~~ instead of working non-stop almost 24 hours a day.

So much for being typical. Mark knew the situation was anything _but_.

The front desk dude asked him about a bazillion questions before actually contacting the person in charge to let him enter the premises. Not that he was complaining, though. He understood their concerns perfectly. His company was equally strict when it came to visitors, if not more.

Especially when he was a boy who just debuted as a member of one of the most famous boy groups in the most famous entertainment industry earlier that year, and the person he needed to talk to was a girl who _also_ just debuted as a member of the most famous ‘experimental’ girl group in the most famous and controversial reality k-pop survival show.

And if he wasn’t mistaken, she just also debuted as a member of a separate girl group made by her own company. Their group name was hella odd, but he had no right to judge.

 _Neocity (_ or _NCT)_ as a group name was just as _odd_ as _Multiplication Table_ anyway, excuse the pun.

He briefly wondered what the companies’ board members were sniffing before they thought of a name in any group. Was weed even allowed in Korea? Or maybe expired voodoo candles? _Essence of unborn children? Or—_

“Mr. Lee, good evening. Please follow me.”

He pulled out of his thoughts when a man in suit ushered him towards the elevator

———————————————————————-

"I think number five is wrong."

"Do you have another solution to it?

"Yeah, I think that if we solve 5(- 3x - 2) - (x - 3) equal to -4(4x + 5) + 13, we multiply factors, and it becomes -15 x - 10 - x + 3 equals - 16 x - 20 + 13, then we group like terms so it becomes - 16 x - 7 = - 16 x - 7, then we add 16x + 7 to both sides and write the equation as follows so the answer becomes 0 = 0."

"W-wait what? Can you, like, write it in scratch paper?"

"Yeah, sure. Can you please do number 9 and 10 while I work on 7 and 8? Thanks in advance."

"Sure."

Mark took his sweet time to stare at the girl in front of him. Her dark brows were scrunched in concentration while she bit her lip, allowing her dimples to dent her squishy-looking cheeks. Her dark hair was in a messy but neat (?) bun (the kind of hairstyle that reminded him of instagram girls in Canada, only that hers looked like she did it in ten seconds or less), and her huge glasses were somewhat fixed appropriately against her well-formed nose-bridge.

Gosh, she was _pretty._ A bit on the chubby side, but it made her somewhat cuter, he thought.

And what surprised him more was that she wore _zero_ make up but she was still so effortlessly _pretty_. Like, he was so used to people caked in foundation since he was a trainee, so unabashed bare faces looked so interesting to him.

_She looked like a living mochi…_

“Earth to Mr. Lee, are you okay?” She giggled, noticing how he just kind of malfunctioned in front of her. “Have you solved it?”

“U-uhm, yeah, no. I’ll start now, sorry.” He hurriedly doodled random numbers into his notebook, his face burning in embarrassment. _Mark Lee, stop associating your classmate to food, you weirdo._

As a member of a boy group, he had no time to publicly mingle with other people outside SM Entertainment. Even much, much less _girls_ from other entertainments. So when their teacher paired them up for the work tasks they both missed, he was as curious and excited as a normal teenage boy could be.

He had never really talked to her personally before this, because they were usually with their much louder classmates or other boy/girl group in music shows. They weren’t very close either, since she was one of the more silent (and very smart) ones in their class, and she went with girls while he went with boys. But he did notice her during I.O.I and Produce 101 promotions because she was one of the most popular contenders.

And her relatable love for food was well-known by probably the entirety of South Korea.

“Makulee, do you want me to bring you food? She piped, after about an hour and a half through their suffering. “I’m getting a bit hungry from all of these brain damaging problems.” She laughed while rubbing her belly.

“Any will do.” He smiled in return. Her new nickname for him was utterly adorable, too.

“I might make fried Oreos.” She puffed her cheeks while pointing at the kitchen, and he just kind of _melted_. “Is that alright?”

“Fried Oreos is perfect, really.”

“Nice! Okay, I’ll be back soon. I’m gonna make warm lemonade!”

His members were relentless when they found out about him being paired with a _Kang Mina,_ the effortless _Aegyo Baby_ of I.O.I and Gugudan. The over-enthusiastic bastards gave him pats and girl advices he _clearly_ didn’t ask for ( _“Johnny-hyung, please. I don’t need them okay? Please leave me alone.”“Oh, come on, Mark! You’ll thank us soon, trust me!”),_ and the worst bully Ten-hyung even went as far as to offer him a condom ( _“Noooo!!! I’m a minor!!! What is wrong with you?!”“Mark, I’m just being realistic. Kids these days are understandably hot-blooded—““Shut up!! I’m leaving!!”)._

Good thing he left their premises unscathed. He wasted no time in putting all of their numbers in his phone’s block list temporarily before arriving at her place to avoid any more exponentially embarrassing bullshit from happening.

Anyway, he finished the problems before Mina came back. It was torture, but not as bad as her set of questions. She really gave the easier ones to him as he went over the worksheet. He wasn’t necessarily academically dumb. Even he could say that math was one of his stronger points in his school subjects. But right now he was just too drowsy and loosened up and unashamedly _distracted._ By a certain mochi-face.

He could thank her a million times for her sweet disposition despite him fumbling and being awkward as hell.

Mina plopped right next to him with a plate full of cookies and a jug of lemonade in hand. Then, they proceeded to review their answers while nibbling onto the warm sweets, praising each other’s work from time to time.

“Wow! You’re really cool, Makulee. Answering all of these so quickly, are you sure you’re not Albert Einstein?” She affectionately pinched his shoulder.

“As if? You’re the top student here, you know.” He laughed, swatting her smaller hands away. “ _Oh_ , the great _Kang Mina,_ the multitalented—“

“Noooo, stop that, eeww..” She whined comically. “It’s weird, I’m just hard working.”

“Just admit it already! _Kang Mina, star dancer in Produce 101, main rapper_ —”

“No! The star dancer is Yoojung and Chungha-unnie! And YOU _are_ the _rapping machine,_ not me!”

This went on as the night progressed, and for the first time in the entire day, Mark truly laughed his life out until his sides hurt.

——————————————————————

Their assignments had long been set aside, slightly scattered on the floor along with their school books. Mark Lee was trying to tune the guitar of one of Gugudan’s older members, as duly supported by Mina (“ _Mimi-unnie won’t mind, trust me”“Are you sure about this? Did you ask for permission?”“YES! They’re upstairs and she doesn’t know how to tune it haha”)._

“What song do you want me to play?”

“Any will do!” She mimicked the way he said it earlier. Mark's eyes narrowed playfully because he was being teased.

“I don’t know a song with the title ‘Any,’ Mina-sshi..”

“Makulee! Just play any song that you feel like singing. Please? I cooked for you!” She leaned closer to do her signature puppy-dog eyes at him. Kang Mina’s aegyo was on maximum damage tonight.

And who the hell was he to resist? Even if he got hit by a bus right then, he’d probably still have the dopey smile on his face.

He turned his attention to the guitar frets before he completely combusted. Mina clapped, urging him on. Clearing his throat, he started shyly, as he tried his best to stop his fingers from trembling.

_“.. I look at her and have to smile_

_As we go driving for a while_

_Her hair blowing in the open window of my car, and_

_And as we go, I see the lights_

_Watch them glimmer in her eyes_

_In the darkness of the evening.. ”_

Mina scooted closer while he carried on, letting herself relax beside him completely. Adjusting his position to let her snuggle against his shoulder, he figured she was familiar with the song when she started humming with him, but she was probably too shy to voice out the english parts ( _she’s too cute. butterflies in his stomach, calm down agh—)_

_“.. Oh and I've got all that I need_

_Right here in the passenger seat_

_Oh, and I can't keep my eyes on the road_

_Knowing that she's inches from me..”_

The snow was starting to fall outside. He could faintly hear holiday carols playing at the next building. The living room was unbearably cold just a few hours ago, but now his insides were melting into goo just because the source of heat on his left felt so comfy and soft and _girl_ and her peach scent was all over him.

_“.. We stop to get something to drink_

_My mind clouds and I can't think_

_Scared to death to say I love her_

_Then the moon peek from the clouds_

_I hear my heart it beats so loud_

_Try to tell her simply..”_

Mark felt, rather than heard, her soft snoring against his neck. He was feeling heavy-eyed too, but he was determined to reach the the last line because he wanted to finish the song for her.

“. _. Oh and I know_

_That this love, it'll grow..”_

Unbeknownst to the both of them, the rest of the Gugudan members were dying and quietly slapping each other to keep themselves from screaming and getting caught from spying at the other side of the _very slightly opened_ door.

——————————————

“How the hell did you end at 1:30 A.M. Minhyung Lee?! Did I not tell you to be very particular of your time? Teenagers like you need to rest properly! I thought you wanted to grow taller? You have to be awake by 6 A.M to do a last minute blocking by the—Mark… are you even listening?”

The irately sleep-deprived middle-aged manager turned his head to the passenger seat, only to find out a happily snoring Mark Lee.

 _Children,_ he sighed. _I’m not paid enough to baby-sit children._

_—————————_

Author’s note

Fun Fact: Mina actually called him ‘Makulee’ when they were in high school. She mentioned it during NCT night night interview with Johnny and Jaehyun ^^


	4. i don’t wanna scare you away

**author’s note at the last part.**

* * *

“And the top male popularity award goes to.. Mark Lee!”

The raucous cheers and applause surrounded the whole school gym as the principal raised the gold and silver trophy. Pubescent girls screamed way too loud to the point of being shrill, boys barked with mirth and cajoled and chanted his name, turning the venue into a teenage cacophony of animalistic glee. The winner, awkwardly pink-faced when he gracelessly went up the stage, had his one hand behind his neck and his other hand begging for the crowd to _pipe down please god this whole thing’s embarrassing._ But they took no heed of his request, instead they turned into an exultant riot the moment he shook hands with the smug-looking faculty as if he won the Korean elections.

At the leftmost corner at the back, one pair of twinkling dark eyes followed his movements with all the subtlety she could muster.

Kang Mina carefully schooled a serene expression when she clapped, aware of the people who were itching to see a reaction from her even though she wasn’t the kind who wanted unnecessary attention, if she could help it. She berated herself for feeling the familiar hollowness in the pits of her stomach, the cold goosebumps crawling into her skin that reached her shoulders to her throat that had it persistently dry up no matter how many times she swallowed her saliva. This was nothing new to her, but it certainly wasn’t welcomed.

“Cat got your tongue, Mina-ssi?“

Blood rushed to her ears at the sudden attack, leaving her somewhat breathless. But she was definitely not one without a fight. Gathering her bearings as quickly as it left, she gave her gossipmonger of a classmate a practiced pretty smile akin to the seasoned actress that she was, the kind that hid the inner turmoils in her chest so masterfully she could applaud herself.

“Well, I don’t see any cats around here.. But I do know that curiosity kills the cat.”

This left her classmate huffing back to her position with a disappointed “You’re no fun, as always...”

She fought the urge to roll her eyes. Nobody was going to catch her off-guard as long as she’s sane and breathing. She would not let them, not ever.

But her breath hitched when the girls at the front repeatedly screamed _I LOVE YOU, MINHYUNG LEE!!_ with so much vibrato that left everyone else’s ears ringing. The flustered boy rapidly darted back into his designated place as if his butt was caught on fire. She tore her eyes away from them and focused her attention to the stupid-looking cartoon character banner instead, at the right side of the stage, suddenly finding it as the most interesting thing on the planet while the remains of the weekly announcements were said and cleared and the students were to go back to their respective classrooms to start their morning classes.

Mina was the first to turn and leave the premise because she was the nearest to the door, and certainly not because of the stares that burned her back as if she was Mary Magdalene and the stones were ignited charcoal.

She gave herself a proper time to breathe against the comforts of her humongous locker door. The excuse she gave was that she wasn’t able to gathered her things because she arrived late for the assembly. It’s up to them if they believed or not.

Biting her lip, she stuffed her notebooks with an uncharacteristic lackluster pace. Normal Kang Mina should’ve been rushing by now. Normal Kang Mina should’ve been mulling over the assignments and projects she finished in her head, taking them into account with dexterity. But normal Kang Mina was also only a girl, who overthought too much and felt much more angst than she was supposed to.

She hated the feeling. But more-so hated the fact that she had no right to even breeze on it.

Mark Lee was a superstar. No, he _is_ a superstar. And his universal adoration would only continue to grow as long as he remained as enchanting and blindingly sunshine as he was. She had become the constant target of talk ever since she and Mark became ‘ _kind of’_ friends more than a year ago. It unnerved her even though her own rise to popularity and the impressive academic grades she worked so hard for gave her a slight leeway. 

She swallowed once again, angry at herself for describing their watered-down camaraderie as if they hadn’t spent several nights baring their inner demons out to each other at two in the morning. But she couldn’t help it. There had to be some altruistic distance somehow, or else she would go crazy and cross a distinct line that could destroy everything.

Walking towards her classroom was a bit more difficult these days. Seeing him talk to more than a dozen of lovestruck girls who were too forward and eager to wiggled their cute butts in front of him was even harder. But she managed the idle chitchat and detached sunny greeting like always as she took her seat at the second front row. Thankfully the notions that troubled her faded when her teacher flashed the list of English poetry that they should make a reaction paper from.

She didn’t notice certain pair of eyes that longingly trailed on her back the moment she entered the classroom, until she tittered her oblivious way out the door by the end of the last afternoon class. 

* * *

“Mina! Fucking pay attention to your—!”

**_BAM_ **

”Mina!!”

”Oh my god, Mina-yah!”

Grumpy manager-nim and her members screamed at the top of their lungs. The world spun in slow motion as her tired feet lost its balance and her entire weight slammed roughly against the floor, causing a searing pain along the entire expanse of her legs to her torso. Most of her members rushed to her side, but they were too scared to move her irregularly angled form. Sejeong was the first one to kneel beside her, cradling her face and shoulder with her trembling hands while everyone else shot thousands of worried questions towards their second youngest member.

”Mina, what the heck happened? Where does it hurt? Oh my god, you careless kid!”

”Mina-yah! Can you see my fingers? How many fingers am I raising?!”

”Mina! That was so dangerous!”

”Get the medic, quickly!” Nayoung commanded her younger peers. Sally and Soyee nodded and bolted out as fast at the could.

Mina dazedly looked up at the distraught Sejeong, the pain finally catching up to her nerves “..Unnie..”

“You should have been more careful! God damn it, Kang!” The manager exclaimed. Her hands were all over her sides and she was hurling panicked obscenities. But the baby of the group could only process the broken heels of her shoes and the bloodied knee that was starting to seep through her light colored leggings.

Soon, more voices could be heard at the hallways. Blinking her frustrated tears away, Mina seriously wanted to punch herself. With her state she wouldn’t be able to perform her dance solo the way she was supposed to. And the worst thing was, their biggest performance was already in three days.

All of her group members’ struggles quickly disappearing down the drain just because of her sheer stupidity and stubbornness. 

_What a disappointment you are, Mina._

* * *

The flurry of her classmates was somehow expected when she entered the room with crutches and several bandages the next day. Most of them were as worried as her members, some just wanted another word of mouth to gossip, others pitied her reputation and thought she was just trying to get attention, and some just didn’t care. She answered their questions all at once with a laugh along the lines of _I’ll be fine this is nothing_ and _I’ve been through worse there’s nothing to worry about hahaha lol lol_ and other concocted lies slipping through her teeth.

But just when she was about to take a seat, a strong hand gripped her forearm.

She was startled by the honey-warm brown eyes of the boy she chose to discreetly avoid. He was already invading the corners of her heart, sneaking in between her naive thoughts in the middle of practice or during her shower. She hated the feeling blooming into her insides when the butterflies tingled the part he was holding on. She hated how it made her toes curl and cheeks warm, how it had her lose her control over herself.

“.. Mina, what happened?” _That voice—_ gradually deepening baritone that juggled between boyhood and manhood. She bit her lip _hard_ to stop it from trembling, unconsciously drawing blood and coloring it crimson. His eyes fleeted and followed the way her little tongue swiped across the nearly-bruised flesh as she unsuccessfully racked her brain for another lie, lest she found none.

Not noticing his apparent distraction due to her gesture, she forced a laugh to hide her discomfort. “I fell during practice. I’m kind of an idiot, right?”

“No.” He frowned as his eyes traveled from her lips back to her eyes. “Of course not. You’re everything but stupid, Mina.”

“I-I, uhm..” She laughed nervously. “I really was, this time. But don’t worry about it, Makulee! I have good survival skills. I managed to shimmy my way into IOI, after all.” She joked while peeling his hand off her arm, acutely mindful of their classmates’ rapt attention and more than half of the girls’ displeased frowns. But Mark did not budge. Instead, he looked more determined than ever.

“Can I talk to you later, then? Dismissal? Can I take you home?”

Collective gasps from their classmates were heard as her her heart thudded _so loudly_ against her chest that she was sure it reverberated her entire body. She spluttered in mortification at his very sudden and public conquest. “Mark—I, wait _, no_ I’m fine Mimi-unnie will—“

“Miss Kang and Mr. Lee, you do mind taking your seats, or better yet resolve your romance outside? I want to start my class now.”

Muffled giggles and hushed disgusted noises filled the room when they separated like there was a live wire between them. The teacher stood at the door with a moderately amused expression directed at the two flustered teenagers. Mina just wanted to disintegrate into thin air right then, her face a blazing red as if she was sunburnt, while Mark was just as embarrassed, but he had a more resolute expression compared to the former. They hurried back to their places before the teacher’s lectures overtook the conundrum that just transpired.

* * *

A mixture of golden orange and dusk yellow slanted through the windows of the almost-empty classroom. Mark’s eyes darted across the room as Mina struggled to keep her composure in placing her pens and correction tape back into her translucent Muji pencil case, along with her books and notebooks into her backpack. A few onlookers hooted and teased as the boy bade them farewell, and he almost directly shoved them outside when they tried to sneak into their privacy. Mina didn’t dare to look back at them.

She had no idea what the hell he was thinking. She had no idea what to expect. Mina squeezed her eyes shut and prayed for some divine providence. _Please hurry up Mimi-unnie I beg you pleasepleaseplease—_

“Mina.”

She swallowed thickly. Footsteps became closer but she didn’t budge from her seat. Her ears were literally ringing and her hands were clammy cold as if she was a sinner in church. _Why am I so nervous? This is just Mark, it’s not like he’s here to kill me.._

”Hey.. Look at me.”

She turned to his direction as he sat on the arm of her seatmate’s chair. The setting sun was almost completely covered by his rapidly growing physique, casting a glow atop his auburn-dyed hair. He had removed the yellow vest of their uniform, only leaving the white polo underneath, with the first two buttons loose for comfort. His eyes were very soft and tender and sad, but the trepidation for her wellbeing overruled everything else.

She felt so exposed and glasslike under his scrutiny. He always saw right through her even without words. She really hated it. ”Don’t look at me like that.”

He didn’t say anything. Instead, he reached out to play with a small clump of her hair. 

She could feel her eyes sting. _pleasepleaseidontwanttocry—_ “I’m fine. _._ okay _?”_

“No.” His whisper was much louder than the jovial farewells from students outside. Louder than the school bell that indicated it was past five in the afternoon. “You are not okay, Mina.”

He looked straight into her eyes, the nuances of his emotions delivering so much more than words could express.

”You are yo-yo dieting.” He murmured quietly. “You’re terribly hurting yourself again and again. You passed out more these days, and you’ve become so pale and unhealthily thin in a scary amount of time. You’re badly injured, but you act as if it’s nothing. They say bad things about you but you hold it all in. And you’re not talking to me as much as you used to. _Why?_ ” The last of his words sounded more hurt than he ever did.

Mina could only bow her head in guilt. ”I’m sorry.” 

_I’m sorry I couldn’t tell you. I’m sorry for being a bad friend. I’m sorry for having feelings that shouldn’t be there._

“I don’t need apologies, Mina. I want you to talk to me.” He tucked the hair behind her ear. It was not spoken, but the message was so obvious he might as well put neon signs. _What changed between us? Have I done something wrong?_

Mimi’s car honking could be heard at the distance. Mina smiled sadly, more to herself than to him, as she stood up to reach for her crutches. Mark held it out for her and wordlessly slung her backpack behind his shoulder despite her defiance.

They were silent when they walked towards the older member’s transportation. Sensing the tension between the two teenagers, Mimi gently thank the boy after he helped her in. He bowed respectfully in return.

A fleeting look between them was all it took for the older member to understand. She glanced at her rearview mirror from time to time, and stopped when she saw the younger girl brush a tear from her cheek.

She promised to be a better unnie, no matter what it took.

* * *

Despite her older members’ indignant disapproval, Mina decided to push through with her role.

“Have you seriously lost your mind, Mina?!” Hana was close to yelling. “Do you want to suffer another concussion?!”

“But unnie!” She begged. “We can’t change the formation right now! Tomorrow’s the big day, and I can’t destroy what all of you worked so hard for—“

”MINA KANG, LISTEN TO ME—“

“Hana, stop.” The manager pulled the leader down to her seat. “Mina is right. She could rest after tomorrow’s event is finished through.”

All of the Gugudan members’ heads whipped towards their manager in disbelief. “Manager-nim?!”

”I will expect Mina Kang to give her full performance tomorrow, since she insists, and by then I will see to it that she will have the rest that she needs.”

* * *

They had finished their group promotion and were waving to the fans when Mark _not-so-secretly_ made his way towards her.

She was filled with both dread and overflowing affection when he openly and bravely stayed by her side, ignoring the teasing looks from the NCT Dream members and the multiple cameras that zoomed at them.

Mina’s throbbing injured legs felt like she was kicked relentlessly and ran over by several cars, the frenzied hurly burly of the fans and their surprised members and several other k-pop idols gathering around them—

—she was overwhelmed and lightheaded and pain-stupid. But he was the anchor of her ship during the worst of storms.

His eyes protectively trailed anywhere she went, and she was more than 100% certain everyone noticed. 

There was no need for words at this point.

* * *

 **Author’s note:** Mina admitted that she used to have very unhealthy dieting habits during her promotions in the past (high school days). also, her injury really happened, and there were several pictures and some fan cams of NCT Dream Mark dutifully standing beside her IN FRONT OF ALL THE FANS and kpop idols when she injured her knee. he was also seen to be lurking close to Gugudan during that particular day lol. i wish i could post the pictures myself (because ofc I saved them hihi) but you can also snoop around instagram if you want to see for yourself. it’s there.

remember that all of these happened BEFORE they became MCs in Music Core. so imagine just how close they actually are behind the camera.

ANywAy I love these two kids so much <3


End file.
